Impact of Regular Exercise and Attempted Weight Loss on Quality of Life among Adults with and without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Andrew J Green,Susan Grandy,Kathleen M Fox

doi:10.1155/2011/172073

Abstract

Objective. To examine the association between exercising regularly and trying to lose weight, and quality of life among individuals with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. Respondents to the US SHIELD baseline survey reported whether they had tried to lose weight during the previous 12 months and whether they exercised regularly for >6 months. Respondents completed the SF-12 quality-of-life survey one year later. Differences between T2DM respondents (n = 2419) and respondents with no diabetes (n = 6750) were tested using t-tests and linear regression models adjusting for demographics, body mass index (BMI), and diabetes status. Results. After adjustment, exercising regularly was significantly associated with higher subsequent physical and mental component scores (P < .001). After adjustment, trying to lose weight was not associated with higher physical component scores (P = .87), but was associated with higher mental component scores (P = .01). Conclusion. Respondents who reported exercising regularly had significantly better physical and mental quality of life, compared with respondents who did not exercise regularly. Despite exercising regularly, respondents with T2DM had significantly worse quality of life, compared with respondents without diabetes who exercised regularly.

Highlights

Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent and costly disease
This study examined the association between exercising regularly and trying to lose weight and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among individuals with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to determine if adults who exercised regularly or attempted weight loss had better quality of life than those who did not perform these lifestyle behaviors
A significantly larger proportion of T2DM respondents who reported attempted weight loss were older, had lower income, had less education, and had higher baseline weight and more obesity compared with no diabetes respondents who attempted weight loss

Summary

Introduction

There are 285 million adults, aged 20−79 years, with diabetes [1]. This is projected to increase to 439 million people globally by 2030 [1]. In the United States, there are 23.6 million adults 20 years or older with diabetes, and approximately 90% of them have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) [2]. An additional 57 million people in the US have prediabetes, increasing their risk of developing frank diabetes [2]. The increasing prevalence of T2DM is directly related to an increasing rise in the prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity, with an estimated 97 million US adults being overweight or obese [3, 4]. National surveys have reported that 27% of US adults did not engage in any physical activity and another 28% were not regularly active [6]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion